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The traditional personal computer market continues to grind along with no major changes. While preferences are slanted more toward the flexibility of tablets or laptops, desktops still hold a solid footing within the marketplace due to specific tasks and functions for which they provide a better user experience.
This blog post presents the findings of a survey conducted by 451 Research by S&P Global, which asked US consumers about current tablet, desktop and laptop ownership, as well as customer satisfaction and purchasing plans.
Key takeaways from the survey
Tablets remain largely unchanged
Virtually no change at the top. Apple (53%), Samsung (22%) and Amazon (15%) remain the most-owned tablet brands, with no changes to their relative positioning. The next closest manufacturers — Lenovo (3%) and Microsoft (2%) — are not even in the same ballpark. Among those planning to buy a tablet in the future, Apple (48%) and Samsung (20%) are holding steady compared with their relative percentages of current owners, while Amazon (6%) lags noticeably behind.
Device churn reinforces Apple and Samsung dominance. Among current owners who plan to buy a tablet in the future, Apple (86%), Samsung (59%) and Amazon (39%) have the highest percentage of those who plan to buy their next device from the same manufacturer. Meanwhile, Amazon continues to lose some of its user base to Apple and Samsung. Among current Amazon tablet owners, 22% say they will switch to Apple for their next tablet, and 10% say Samsung. Conversely, just 2% of current Samsung and 1% of Apple owners who plan on buying a tablet in the future say they will switch to Amazon.
And while Apple still gives up a small number of current iPad owners to Samsung (4%), it’s still very low compared with what they stand to gain from them. On the other hand, Samsung stands to lose up to 14% of current users to Apple when users upgrade to a new device. It should be noted, however, that these losses are offset by gains due to users switching from the mishmash of other manufacturers in the marketplace. Also, these market share shifts tend to take place over time as users slowly refresh their devices.
Brand power outweighs satisfaction for many tablet manufacturers. Apple (68%) is typically the clear leader in customer satisfaction, yet the current survey is showing an unexpected surge for Google (69%) in the number of current owners saying they are very satisfied with their devices. Behind them is an assortment of other market participants, including Microsoft (59%), Samsung (59%) and HP (58%). Despite showing relatively strong satisfaction ratings over the years, most of this second tier has been relegated to niche ownership levels.
PC market remains stable
HP and Dell dominate desktops. HP (30%) and Dell (28%) are the longtime leaders in the desktop market, with Apple (16%) solidly in third. These remain the only manufacturers with double-digit ownership.
However, the order of this top trio shuffles when looking at planned buying over the next 12 months, with Apple (32%) jumping ahead of HP (25%) and Dell (25%). Apple’s position in planned buying is driven largely by Gen Z and Millennials, who remain more entrenched in Apple’s ecosystem compared with other cohorts.
The laptop market has more competition. While HP (30%) still enjoys a comfortable lead in current laptop ownership, the rest of the market is more competitive compared with desktops, with Apple (19%), Dell (15%) and Lenovo (12%) leading the charge.
Similar to desktops, Apple (32%) is again the top choice among respondents planning to buy a laptop in the next 12 months, followed by HP (21%) and Dell (19%). Sneaking into the conversation are Samsung (12%) and Lenovo (12%), but they’re not yet in contention for a leading position among the top manufacturers.
Satisfaction is still a determining factor. Apple has the most “very satisfied” users in both laptops and desktops compared with Dell and HP, a key reason why they lead in planned buying. But market share gains continue to come slowly for Apple. Dell and HP’s lower price tags and large footprints in these markets are certainly a big factor, as well as their competitive satisfaction ratings. Another big factor is that refresh rates for these devices have slowed in recent years.
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